


what's it gonna be? (her or me?)

by alotofthingsdifferent



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Bachelor AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-01-31
Packaged: 2018-03-09 20:21:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3263141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alotofthingsdifferent/pseuds/alotofthingsdifferent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Mike, man,” Tom says. “This show isn’t. It’s not about falling in love. You know that, I know you do. Falling in love isn’t over-the-top dates and making out in hot tubs. It’s.” He stops, running one hand through his hair. “It’s laughing with someone, and staying up all night and wanting to kiss them even if they have gross morning breath. It’s not having to try so hard to make an impression, because they’re already impressed.” </p><p>Or, Mike's The Bachelor, and Tom's part of the film crew. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	what's it gonna be? (her or me?)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by an anon prompt on tumblr (and peer pressure!)
> 
> Come hang with me on [tumblr](alotofthingsdifferent.tumblr.com) for more shenanigans.

“Tonight, my final rose goes to someone who’s really made me smile this past week. I think you’ve really come out of your shell, finally opened up to me, and I have to say, I really like what I’m seeing.” He pauses for the beat of six, building the suspense, and asks, “Molly, will you accept this rose?”

Molly’s dark hair swings over her shoulders as she drops her head forward, pressing her face to her hands. Mike puts on a winning smile as he pulls her into a warm embrace, his lips brushing her cheek in a soft kiss. She tightens her grip around his neck, blubbering sweet nothings through her tears. 

“Aaaand cut,” someone shouts, and just like that, Molly’s pulling away from him, wiping the tears from her cheeks. 

“Nice job,” she tells him, kissing his cheek sweetly before leaning in, her breath hot on his ear. “Find me later if you wanna hook up.”

He raises an eyebrow when she palms his ass and for a long second considers following her. She’s got legs to here and her tits are perfect, and he thinks about what it would be like to get her underneath him. It’s a fleeting thought; she’s gone before he can decide to act on it, disappearing upstairs to the luxury suite she’ll be set up in as one of the final contestants.

“Good scene, Latts,” Nate, one of the directors tells him, clapping him on the back. “Big couple days coming up, huh?”

Mike laughs softly, shrugs one shoulder. “Guess so, yeah.” It’s been a long couple of months, and he’s had fun playing the role of most eligible man in America. He’s traveled, he’s bungee-jumped, he’s made out with more than a handful of smoking-hot girls. 

But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little tired of the whole thing. He knew what he signed up for when he got himself into this, and he wasn’t naive enough to think he’d actually _fall in love_ with any of these girls. But they’re all the same after awhile, each of them just a character in a storyline created by the producers, and as fun as it’s been to scuba dive in the Caribbean and have dinner at the top of the Eiffel tower, he knows he’d have enjoyed those experiences a lot more if he’d been with someone that actually meant something to him. 

“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess Molly’s getting the ring,” Nate says, leering at Mike. It makes him a little sick to his stomach, if he’s being honest, but he plays along, knowing what’s expected of him. 

“That obvious, huh?” he says with a practiced grin. 

Nate just laughs and shakes his head, waving someone over. “This is Tom,” he says, nodding at the guy now standing next to him. “He’ll be following you on your last two dates.”

The guy -- Tom -- holds out a hand, and Mike takes it, shaking firmly. “Nice to meet you,” he says, and does he ever mean it. Tom’s got broad shoulders and strong arms; his hair is long around his ears and neck, swept over one eyebrow in a way that should look messy but instead looks -- well, _sexy_ , Mike thinks, and he has to laugh to himself. He wonders what the producers would think if they knew their golden boy lusted after dick almost as much as he did pussy.

“What’s funny?” Tom asks, and Mike realizes their hands are still connected.

“Huh? Oh, nothing, sorry just -- nothing. Anyway,” he says, clearing his throat. Nate’s wandered away, he notices, so it’s just he and Tom standing there. “Are you new? I haven’t seen you filming before.”

Tom nods. “Yeah, one of the guys had a family emergency come up, and Nate and I go back, so he asked if I’d do him a favor.”

“Cool,” Mike says lamely, shifting from one foot to the other. “So uh. Day date tomorrow with Jessica, night date with Molly. See you then?” 

“Yeah, man. See you then.” Tom brushes past him and disappears around a corner. Mike pretends not to watch his ass as he goes.

\--

His date with Jessica is lunch on a catamaran. It’s barely big enough for the six of them (Mike and Jessica, Tom, Nate, and two sounds guys), but they make it work, sidestepping each other with an ease that comes with doing things like this for months. He and Jessica sit on the edge of the boat, feet dangling in the water, while Tom crouches next to Jessica, filming. Jessica’s hot pink bikini doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and before today, Mike would have been feasting his eyes on the smoothness of her skin. 

But now, he’s got Tom shirtless three feet from him, and he’s having a hard time concentrating on anything but the bulges of muscle in his arms and the way the breeze is blowing his hair back over his face. 

Every time Jessica touches his arm, or leans in to kiss him, or flips her long blonde hair back over her tan shoulders, he shoots Tom a look, rolling his eyes, smirking, faking a yawn. Tom’s fighting back a smile, Mike can tell by the way the corners of his eyes crinkle up as he clenches his jaw, sucking in his cheeks. 

“Latts!” Nate shouts, and Mike mouths “uh-oh” at Tom (at which point he finally laughs). “Pay attention to Jessica, please. You look bored!”

Jessica narrows her eyes at him. He jumps when he feels her hand on his legs, fingers dipping under the leg of his trunks to brush against his inner thigh. She leans in and presses her soft lips to his neck, and he fights to keep his eyes open. “Am I boring you, Michael?” she teases, nipping at his ear. He stops the movement of her hand with a gentle tug at her wrist, kissing her forehead as he does it.

“C’mon babe, I could never be bored when I’m with you,” he says, and Nate gives the thumbs up as Mike wraps an arm around Jessica’s shoulders, tucking her in against his side. He knows they’ll do some creative editing to make it look like the two of them just shared an ultra-romantic moment, and he makes like he’s gagging when his eyes meet Tom’s. Tom shakes his head and mouths, “You’re bad.” 

And yeah. Tom has no idea.

\--

They’re standing outside Molly’s door, Mike’s shoulder to the wall and Molly leaning into him. Her lips are full and pink, and he can smell the sweet scent of her perfume as she leans in closer, waiting for her good-night kiss. 

The thing is, Tom’s just over Molly’s shoulder, and Mike can’t seem to tear his eyes away from the way Tom’s t-shirt hugs his chest. 

“Michael,” Molly hisses through gritted teeth. “Kiss me.” When Nate throws him a warning look, he finally manages to tear his eyes away from Tom and concentrate on Molly, on the way she presses her tits to his chest as he reels her in for a kiss. When they break apart, he looks up to find Tom staring at him, mouth parted slightly. Mike has to look away when Tom’s tongue swipes over his lower lip. 

“Good night,” Molly whispers, one hand resting on his chest. She leans in, kisses his cheek, and looks up at him with doe-eyes, batting her long lashes. “I’m falling in love with you,” she lies, and Mike’s left staring at her closed door with flushed cheeks and a hard-on that has absolutely nothing to do with the beautiful woman who just had her tongue down his throat. 

It takes him a full five minutes to collect himself. Once he’s gotten his _issue_ under control, he finds Tom putting his equipment away.

"Hey," he says quietly, looking over his shoulder to make sure they’re not being watched. "You wanna hang out tonight?" Mike’s basically got an entire compound to himself, and now that the cameras have stopped rolling, he’s free to do what he pleases until morning.

Tom looks up at him from where he’s crouched on the ground and smirks. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be fraternizing with the help?” he asks, and Mike flushes. “I’m kidding, man. Yeah, we can hang,” he says. “Just uh. Just give me a few? Wanna make sure Nate’s gone first.”

"Sure, yeah, I get it," Mike says. "Just. Come to my room whenever. We can have some beers or something. Chill by the pool."

"Sounds good. See you in a bit," Tom says, and as Mike walks back to his suite, it hits him that he hasn’t been this anxious—this excited—since he’s been here. He tries not to take it as a sign.

\--

He takes a quick shower when he gets back to his room, eager to wash the scent of Molly's perfume from his skin. It's been a long day, and the pressure of the hot shower feels good against his back. He soaps up and stands under the spray, eyes closed, as he replays the day's events in his mind. Jessica pressed against him on the catamaran, her skin hot against his. Tom's eyes as he watched them, the flex of his biceps as he hefted the camera over his shoulder to find a better angle. Molly's mouth on his. Tom's tongue peeking out between his lips.

His dick is starting to take an interest in the memories, and he presses a hand between his legs, reveling in the heat that pools in his belly as he strokes two fingers along his shaft. He's just getting into it, fucking into his fist, when he hears a deep voice calling his name.

"I'm coming!" he shouts, scrambling to turn the water off and grab for a towel. "I'll be right there!"

He doesn't bother drying off completely, just wraps a plush white towel around his waist and hurries out of the bathroom, flushed from the heat of the shower and the fact that he was almost caught with his dick in his hand. 

"Hey," he says when he sees Tom hovering near the door. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be up this soon." Tom’s staring at him, his eyes dropping from Mike’s face to the towel at his waist. He can feel the rivulets of water dripping down his chest; Tom drags his gaze back up Mike's body to his eyes and swallows hard, clearing his throat.

"I can come back," he says, and Mike shakes his head as he digs through his drawer for a pair of shorts. 

"No, it's fine, I was just finishing up," he says, then hesitates for a moment, gripping his shorts in his hand. "I'm just gonna, uh--" He holds the shorts up, waving them a little, and Tom turns red from the neck up.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, you probably want to --” He turns his head, averting his eyes, and Mike feels a sudden fondness for this guy he’s only known for all of twenty-four hours. 

“All set,” Mike says, and motions Tom into the room. “C’mon in man, you don’t need to stand by the door all night.” 

They end up out by the pool, sitting across from each other outside the hot tub, their legs in the water. Tom’s leaning back on his elbows, wrists dangling over the edges and the neck of a beer bottle hanging between two fingers. He kicks his foot to splash water into Mike’s lap. “So what are you doing on this show, man? Because based on what I’ve seen today, you’re pretty disinterested in *finding true love.*” His tone is mocking, but Mike doesn’t take it personally.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “My buddies and I back home, we’d watch this show and just make so much fun of it. Then they decided I’d be a grade-A bachelor and I thought, y’know what? Hell yeah I would. So I tried out.”

Tom nods as he takes a drink, his eyes trained on Mike the whole time. “I mean, you can’t beat the experiences I guess. The travel and all that.”

“It was fun, at first,” Mike continues. “Going all those kick-ass places, making out with hot girls, showing off my killer bod for America.” Tom snorts and pulls his legs from the water. He disappears into Mike’s room and when he returns, he’s got two more beers in his hand. This time, though, instead of sitting across from Mike, he drops down next to him, dipping his feet back into the water as he hands Mike a beer.

“Ok,” Tom says. “Go on.”

Their legs keep brushing under the water, and Tom’s bare shoulder is warm where it’s pressed against Mike’s. Mike tries to ignore the tingle at the base of his spine as he continues. “Anyway, yeah. It was fun at first, but then, I don’t know. The novelty wore off? Some of those girls, man. They’re batshit, y’know? Just looking for their five minutes, do anything to get their face on TV. On one date, a chick actually dropped to her knees and started mouthing my dick through my pants.”

Tom coughs around his bottle, his eyes watering as he chokes down his beer. “Are you kidding me?” he gets out.  
“Needless to say, she did not get a rose,” Mike chuckles. “ And that date hit the cutting-room floor.” He wrinkles his nose. “I hope.”

“Damn,” Tom says. “Crazy shit.” 

They sit in silence for awhile, Mike kicking his feet under the water. His stomach somersaults when Tom hooks their ankles together. “So what are you going to do?” he ask softly.

And up until now, Mike really hadn’t thought about it. Now he’s faced with narrowing his choice from four girls to two, and then meeting those girls’ families, and holy shit what has he gotten himself into.

“Hey. Hey, Mike, calm down,” Tom says, squeezing Mike’s knee distractingly. 

“I can’t -- shit, Tom, they expect me to propose to one of these girls!”

Tom laughs softly, nudging Mike’s shoulder with his own. “C’mon, man. It’s not for real. It’s really not that serious.” Mike looks at him with wide, panicked eyes. “I mean. You didn’t really come on this show expecting to fall in love for *real*, did you?”

Mike doesn’t really know how to answer that. Sure, he knew a lot of this was scripted, most of it, probably, and like he’d told Tom, most of these girls were just here to get on TV, but there was maybe a small part of him that hoped maybe he’d actually connect with someone special. 

“Mike, man,” Tom says. “This show isn’t. It’s not about falling in love. You know that, I know you do. Falling in love isn’t over-the-top dates and making out in hot tubs. It’s.” He stops, running one hand through his hair. “It’s laughing with someone, and staying up all night and wanting to kiss them even if they have gross morning breath. It’s not having to try so hard to make an impression, because they’re already impressed.” He shrugs and takes another drink of his beer. “Or maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic. Who knows.”

“Do you,” Mike says, and he’s well aware of how he sounds. “Do you have someone like that?”

Tom shakes his head, smiles sadly. “Nah. But I’m not about to go on some show to try and find him, either.”

 _Him_ , Mike thinks, and _so you’re saying I have a chance._

“I think you should go,” Mike says softly, and Tom cocks his head, his forehead creased with a frown.

“Why? Because I’m --”

“No!” Mike blurts. “No. I mean, yes, but not -- not for the reasons you think.”

Realization dawns on Tom’s face and his cheeks go pink. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Mike says. “I uh.” He swallows hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Tom staring at him, can hear the shallow breaths he’s taking. He thinks if he pressed a hand to Tom’s chest, he’d be able to feel Tom’s heart racing. “Oh fuck it,” he mumbles, pushing off the edge of the hot tub and into the water, where he goes to stand in the vee of Tom’s legs. “I’m gonna kiss you,” he says, “so if that’s not something you want to happen, you should probably go now.” 

When their lips meet and Tom’s tongue slides against his, Mike swear he sees fireworks. He is so, so fucked.

\--

They spend the next two weeks sneaking around after filming. Mike spends the days pretending to fall in love with Molly and Jessica, putting a wall up with Sarah and Emma. Laying the groundwork for the big finale. At night, he’s with Tom, watching late night TV with Tom’s head in his lap, laying flat on their backs staring at the ceiling, talking for hours. 

They kiss until they’re breathless and panting, both of them hard and aching with it. It never goes any further, and Mike doesn’t push it, doesn’t want to scare Tom away.

“Meeting the families tomorrow,” Mike mumbles into Tom’s side the night before Molly and Jessica introduce him to their parents. They’re both shirtless, legs tangled together under the covers, and Mike’s got one arm draped over Tom’s torso, tucked under Tom’s arm.

“Yeah,” Tom says, his fingers playing with the soft hair at the nape of Mike’s neck. “You ready?”

“Ready to keep pretending I’m in love with two women? Ask both their dads for permission to marry them?” He snorts. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

Tom doesn’t say anything, but he’s tense next to Mike. 

“You ok?” Mike whispers. “You’re quiet.”

“Mmm,” Tom hums, noncommittal. “I should go though.” Mike’s stomach clenches a little and he tightens his grip on Tom’s waist. 

“Why?” he asks. “Stay.”

But Tom’s moving to sit up, dropping kiss to the top of Mike’s head. “I never stay, Mike. Why would tonight be any different?” Mike doesn’t like the tone in his voice. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow anyway. Get some sleep.”

Mike thinks about pouting, about throwing a fit and demanding Tom stay, but the look on Tom’s face tells him it’s not a battle he’s going to win. 

“Kiss me goodbye?” he says instead, and he’s relieved when Tom gives him that. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Actually, no,” he says, not meeting Mike’s eyes as he pulls his shirt back on and toes into his shoes. “I’ve got something going on tomorrow, so Nate found a fill-in.”

Mike frowns, confused. He was sure Tom said he’d be there for the big family meetings. “Oh.”

“I’ll be back in a couple days,” he says, “just in time for you to pop the big question.” There’s a bite in his voice that makes Mike’s heart drop. “Good luck tomorrow,” he says, and then he’s out the door, before Mike can even say goodbye.

\--

Both girls’ fathers say yes. Obviously.

Mike feels like throwing up.

\--

The night before he’s set to propose to Molly (which is apparently exactly what he’s supposed to do), there’s a soft knock at his door just as he’s gotten into his sleep pants. It’s late, and he’s exhausted, but he knows that knock, and his heart’s in this throat as he pulls open the door.

“Hey,” he breathes, and when Tom smiles, his knees go weak. “Get in here, man,” he says, pulling Tom in by the collar of his shirt. He gets him up against the door as soon as it’s closed, tilting his head up to mouth Tom’s jaw. “I missed you,” he says. “That’s stupid right?”

Tom laughs softly, turning to press his lips to Mike’s. “Way stupid,” he says. “As stupid as me missing you.” It’s too much talking, Mike decides, and he grips Tom’s hips hard as he kisses him again, groaning when Tom’s tongue slips past his lips. He fists his hands in Tom’s shirt, pulling it up and off so he can press his bare chest to Tom’s, needing to feel the hot slide of skin on skin. 

“Fuck, Mike,” Tom moans, his grip tight on Mike’s biceps. He dips his head to press his lips to Mike’s neck, sucking lightly just below his ear. “I needed to see you,” he says against Mike’s skin, walking them backwards into the room. 

“Yeah?” Mike hooks his fingers into Tom’s belt loops and tugs him close as they make their way to the bed. “I’m glad you came,” he admits as he sits down, crawling backwards onto the mattress. His legs fall open and he leans back, an invitation he’s really hoping Tom will accept.

“You’re killing me here,” Tom says, but he’s blanketing Mike’s body with his own as he says it, rolling his hips so Mike can feel just how much he wants this.

“Tom. Tom, c’mon,” Mike pants, reaching for the button on Tom’s jeans. “Get ‘em off, c’mon.”

Tom hesitates, closing his eyes when Mike’s hands come up to cup his face. Mike swipes his thumbs over Tom’s cheeks and pulls him down for another kiss, working his hands between their bodies to push Tom’s jeans down over his thighs. 

The first slide of Tom’s bare cock against his own is ecstasy. It can’t last long, not when he’s got his hands all over Tom’s body, Tom’s mouth on his neck, his tongue on Tom’s skin. He cries out when he spills over Tom’s fist, coming in ribbons all over his own stomach. Tom follows close behind, his moans swallowed by Mike’s mouth on his. Tom’s still trying to catch his breath when Mike kisses the side of his face and whispers, “Stay.”

“Yeah,” Tom breathes. “Yeah, Mike. I’ll stay.”

They fall asleep like that, boneless and blissed out and stuck together.

\--

“Hey,” Mike whispers, nosing along Tom’s jaw. Tom grunts, swatting at Mike. “Heyyyy,” Mike repeats, sinking his teeth into Tom’s neck. . 

“Go’way,” Tom mumbles. “M’sleeping.”

Mike laughs softly, lets his hand wander under the covers to cup Tom’s half-hard dick. “Wake up,” he says, giving it a squeeze.

“Mmm,” Tom replies, eyes fluttering open. Their eyes meet and Mike feels breathless as he leans down for a kiss. Tom turns his head, wrinkling his nose. “I have gross morning breath.”

Mike cups Tom’s jaw, turns his head back, and whispers, “I don’t care.” 

\--

Four hours later, he’s wearing a suit that’s too hot for the weather and standing near the edge of a cliff overlooking clear blue waters. The breeze is blowing slightly, the sun is shining, and the scene is set for Mike to make his choice.

He stands with his legs parted slightly, hands folded in front of him, as Jessica makes her entrance. Her red dress swishes at her feet, and she pulls her long blonde hair over her shoulder, beaming as she walks towards him.

Mike smiles back, but all he can see is Tom standing behind her, his face hidden behind the camera. 

Tom knows Jessica isn’t the one who’s getting the ring. They’ve known since the final four the Molly was going to be his final choice, and now he has to put on his first of two performances, this one the role where breaks the girl’s heart.

Jessica’s teary-eyed as he makes his speech, telling her how much he’s enjoyed getting to know her over these past few months, how he knows they have a connection but he just doesn’t know if it’s enough to build a life on. “You’re a beautiful girl, and I care about you a lot, but I’m sorry. This is the end of the road for us.” 

He hugs her tightly and kisses her cheek before she hurries away, faking tears for the cameras. He meets Tom’s gaze and shrugs his shoulders, mouthing, “Here we go.” 

The look on Tom’s face is unreadable, and Mike feels sick to his stomach as Molly approaches him. She looks gorgeous, wearing a black dress that fits her perfectly, her dark hair swept back off her of her face, a confident smile playing on her lips.

When she’s finally standing in his space, he knows he needs to say something. But he can’t get the words out. All he can hear is Tom’s voice in his head, talking about laughing and staying up all night and kissing with morning breath. He hears Tom’s laugh, feels Tom’s hands on his skin, and it hits him with sudden certainty that he has been falling in love. Not with the beautiful woman standing in front of him, but with Tom. 

He breaks into an easy grin, nothing fake about the way he’s feeling. “Molly,” he says. “Molly. You’re amazing, you really are. You’re smart and beautiful and god, we get along great.” He raises his eyes over her shoulder for a moment, watching the way Tom’s face falls as Mike speaks. “We’ve had a great time getting to know one another, and there’s no one I’d rather share this moment with.” Her eyes brim with actress tears, but she frowns when he says, “Well, there is one person.” 

“What are you doing?” she snaps angrily, her voice low to avoid all the mics. 

“I’m sorry, Molly. You’re great, and you’re gonna find a guy that’s perfect for you, but the thing is.” He swallows hard, burying his nerves. Tom’s staring at him from behind the camera, eyes wide. “The thing is, I’m really, really into someone else, and I’ve kind of spent the last three weeks falling for him.”

Molly’s eyes threaten to bug out of her head, and her jaw drops. She stomps her foot angrily, grabbing him by the arm. “What the FUCK, Mike? I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!”

He shrugs her hand from his arm and breaks into a slow smile when he sees that Tom’s dropped his camera and is walking towards him with long, smooth strides. 

“Tom, what the fuck?” Nate questions from his spot near Molly.

He meets Tom halfway, reaching out to wrap his fingers around one wrist. “Hey,” he says. “You wanna maybe go out with me?”

Tom arches one perfect eyebrow and smiles. “Michael Latta, what kind of a proposal is that?”

“Say yes,” Mike urges, pulling Tom into his space. 

When Tom kisses him, Mike thinks he’s got his answer.

\--

They make him redo the scene with Molly. He doesn’t propose, lets her down just as he had with Jessica, and the season fades to black with Mike standing at the edge of the cliff, alone.

The audience doesn’t get to see that just off-screen, true love awaits.


End file.
